Love Will Prevail
by Nathan's Manna
Summary: Unplanned sequel to What is Meant to Be. I had a lot of requests to continue the story, so here you go. This continues the story of Nathan and Haley Scott, after HS graduation and the birth of their first child. Review please! COMPLETED
1. Prologue

Love Will Prevail

PG-13

Sequel to "What is Meant to Be." This sequel wasn't planned, but I had a lot of requests to continue the story, so here you go. Review please!!!!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these OTH characters, even though I'd like to.

**Prologue**

Nathan and Haley stood in the doorway of their bedroom watching their son Harrison sleep. He was only a moth old, but already they couldn't imagine their lives without him. He'd been born two weeks before graduation, which had made Haley even happier because it meant she didn't have to waddle through the ceremony.

Haley sighed and walked into the kitchen where she poured a glass of milk.

Nathan walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. Kissing his wife's neck, he mumbled, "What's up?"

"Nothing. Just thinking, that's all."

"About what?"

Haley turned towards Nathan and rested her head on his chest, "About our lives, what we have planned, and where we're going. We don't have any plans Nathan."

"Sure we do Hales. We plan to raise a beautiful family and be happy. We're planning to go to UNC where we have scholarships and a cute apartment waiting for us."

"I'm talking about our family Nathan. We got married without planning," she looked up into his eyes.

Nathan pushed away, "Are you regretting that?"

"No, never, I love you Nathan, and I always will," she kissed him lightly, "And Harrison wasn't planned. I wouldn't give him up for anything, but we've never even really talked about having kids."

"I guess I just figured that after we found out about Harrison, the topic became mute. At least for a while."

"It's anything but mute Nathan. If anything, it's more relevant now than ever."

"Well, lets talk about it now Haley."

"Nathan, you only want to talk about this because I'm upset. I don't want to talk like this."

Nathan knew she was at least a little bit right, and he also knew better than to pick a fight. So, he took the easy route and turned on the TV.

Two nights later…

Haley laid in bed, watching Harrison through the bars of his crib. She couldn't believe that such a beautiful baby was hers, and Nathan's. she felt him crawl into bed next to her, but she kept her back to him. Things had been a little tense since she'd tried to pick a fight.

Nathan gently wrapped his arm around the waist of his wife. He'd been thinking about what she'd said. There wasn't a waking moment that he didn't think about his life with her. But he also didn't need a plan. As long as he was with her, nothing else mattered. "Haley,"

She laid silent, pretending to sleep, not wanting to argue.

Nathan knew she was faking, so he continued to talk, knowing she'd say something if she felt so compelled. "Look Hales, I've been thinking a lot about what you said the other day. You're right about us not having a plan, and I know it's important to you that we have one. So lets talk about a plan. I'd love to have lots of kids. Being an 'only' child I remember what it was like. I don't want that for Harrison. I'd really like four, or more. But if one is all you want, I can be okay with that too. My plan, Haley, is to be with you, and be happy."

A tear trickled down her face as she listened to the man she loved.

"But Haley, as mush as I want us to have more babies, I think we need to wait. Until after college."

"Oh Nathan!" Haley rolled over and smothered him with kisses. "I was so afraid that you'd want something different. I'm scared that college is going to be too hard with a baby, and hurt our marriage."

"We're going to be fine Haley. I promise. Our marriage will survive because we love each other, and college will work because we support each other."

"Thank you Nathan."

"Anything for you Hales."


	2. Chapter 1

Love Will Prevail

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these OTH characters, even though I'd like to. 

**3 Years later…**

Nathan stood outside of his advisor's office, waiting to talk to her about his options. He was struggling to finish his third year of college. Even though he'd been back to class for three weeks now, he was still trying to catch-up from the two he'd missed.

Professor Kimball opened the door, "Nathan, I'm glad to see you."

He followed her into the office and sat down nervously, afraid of what she was going to tell him, "Look Professor…"

"Don't worry about it Nathan. Everything is going to be fine. Now, how's Haley doing?"

"She's doing really well. She's been a little cold and standoffish, but she's coming around."

"That's good to hear. And what about Harrison?" She always loved hearing about the latest antics of the boy who was just about to turn three.

"Awesome, as usual. And, while he doesn't understand what happened, he does recognize that mommy and daddy are happier than we have been."

"He's a smart one, that child of yours."

"That he is," Nathan couldn't help but feel a sense of pride, "Now, about my classes."

"I've talked to your teachers, and they all understand. They've given you extensions through July. And as long as you still do your internship, you'll be able to graduate next year, just as planned."

"That's good to hear. Thank you so much for your help, and concern."

"Anything for you Nathan."

Nathan walked through campus, thinking about everything they'd been through in the past four and a half months. They'd all been sick in January. Little did they know at the time, but the illness threw off the birth control pills for the next month. They discovered in late March that she was almost 2 months pregnant. Even though the baby was once again unplanned, Nathan was ecstatic. Haley had hoped to wait another year, but was warming up to the idea. Then the unimaginable happened. Haley had a miscarriage. They'd both been devastated.

Haley was managing to move one. Nathan knew that silently, she was just the tiniest bit relieved. Harrison was a handful at three, and another baby would mean missing a good part of the fall semester, which would probably mean postponing graduation.

Nathan was still struggling. He felt that a small part of him had died inside. He hoped it would get easier over time. It also meant that he was fighting with his wife. The tension was so thick, it could be cut with a knife.

Haley sat cross-legged on the sofa watching Harrison play with his Rescue Hero toys. While he could be a handful sometimes, he was a wonderful kid. Placing her hands in her stomach, she thought about the baby she'd lost. It had ripped her apart inside. A baby was the last thing she thought she wanted right now. But after losing the baby, she realized that the most important part of her life was Nathan and their family, which she hoped would one day include many more children. And she wanted someday to start today. The doctor's designated wait time was over. Now she just needed to make amends with her hurting husband.

Nathan walked into the apartment after work to the most wonderful aroma, "Haley?"

"In the kitchen."

Nathan walked in to find his wife pulling out a lasagna and his son helping butter garlic bread.

"You're just in time."

"I see that. What is all of this?"

"Pecil dinner daddy," Harrison held out his arms.

Nathan picked up his son and was embraced in a bear hug, "What's the occasion?"

Haley kissed him, "Things have been rough. I just want to get our lives back on track." She kissed him again, deeper this time.

"Mmmmmm," Nathan moaned, wondering what had happened to his wife. Whatever it was, he was thankful.


	3. Chapter 2

Love Will Prevail

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these OTH characters, even though I'd like to. 

**May, the following year…**

Lucas sat next to his family and friends as he happily watched his brother and sister-in-law receive their diplomas. He laughed as Haley waited at the bottom of the stairs for Nathan. She jumped at him, and he swung her around, squealing.

"Yay mommy! Yay daddy!" Harrison hollered as he stood on his chair and clapped.

Lucas patted his nephew, "Shhh, buddy."

"But aren't you excited Uncle Luke?"

"Of course I am, but we don't want to be rude."

"Oh, okay," Harrison had lost interest in the ceremony, so he started playing with the baby on his uncle's lap.

Nathan and Haley kissed each other softly as they went in search of their family and friends. The search didn't take long.

"Daddy!" Harrison dropped Peyton's hand to charge his parents.

Nathan scooped him up, "Hey buddy."

Lucas reached them next, "Congratulations you two. We're all so proud of you."

Haley hugged him, "Thank you so much."

Lucas handed her the baby he was holding, "I think someone else wants to congratulate you."

Haley kissed the baby and Nathan wrapped his arms around her waist and did the same, "Are you proud of mommy and daddy too?"

Harrison copied his mom and dad by kissing his sister, "Baby Abby tried to clap. I helped."

"You're such a great big brother."

Karen hugged the family, "We'll see you tomorrow night, right?" they had a big party planned at Tric to congratulate the couple and welcome them and their family back to Tree Hill where they'd bought a house.

"Definitely. Jake, Peyton, and Lucas are staying with us tonight so they can help us move tomorrow."

"Let Karen and I take the kids back with us tonight," Keith offered.

"Keith…" Nathan started.

"No arguments. We've already got the car seats. We'll follow you back to the apartment for the necessities."

"Yeah," Karen added, "besides, moving will be easier if you don't have to chase after a 4-year-old."

"Karen, Keith, you're too much. Thank you."

Nathan looked at his son, "What do you think? Want to spend the night with Nana and Papa?"

"Yay! Baby Abby too?"

"Abby too."

Harrison squiggled loose, "Lets go Papa," he grabbed Keith's hand.

The adults all laughed, "See ya tomorrow buddy."

"Bye daddy."

Lucas sat with Nathan and Haley and Jake and Peyton at a high-top table at their favorite watering hole. "So, how does it feel?"

"Warm. Since I'm not breast feeding, I can drink again."

Peyton smiled, "You haven't been pregnant for two months now."

"So what's your point?" Haley took another drink.

The friends found themselves laughing, "Not what I was talking about Hales. Graduating, how's it feel?"

"God, it's liberating. It's like the first book of my life has been finished. Find out what happens next in the sequel."

Lucas turned to his brother, "And Nathan?"

"It's wonderful. Now I can focus on my family and beautiful wife," he kissed Haley, "And I can work on plans for a new family business while I wait for my lame older brother to finish school already."

"How is it," Peyton began, "that the two of you finished before the rest of us?"

Nathan and Haley looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders.

"No, she's right. You started college with a new baby in tow. Then the miscarriage," Jake paused, hoping he hadn't crossed the line, "And then another new baby during your last semester. You've conquered a lot."

Nathan looked at his friend, "You have a kid, and a wife too."

"Exactly. And I'm a good semester behind."

Haley smiled at Nathan, "We took summer classes. We worked our tails off, and most importantly, we supported each other."

"Cheers to that!" Lucas raised his glass and the others followed suit.

Nathan rolled over the next morning and smacked Haley in the head, "Sorry babe. God," he groaned, "what were we thinking last night? We have to move today."

Haley kissed him, her hangover felt as bad as he looked, "We'll take some aspirin, drink some coffee, and we'll be fine."

"If you say so."

"Hey, if it makes you feel any better, I'm guessing our three house guests don't feel any better."

"You're right. That does make me feel a tiny bit better."

"And we've packed basically everything. It just has to be loaded up."

"Another fine point," Nathan kissed her again.

They were interrupted by a knock at the door, "Hey love bugs," Peyton smiled at them, "we're all up, and coffee's made. Let's get going so we can go home."

"Sounds like a plan," Haley rolled out of bed. She walked into their kitchen to see Lucas and Jake sitting at the bar, heads on the countertop. She laughed, knowing that the three men were going to be the biggest babies. Even though she and Peyton had met them drink for drink.

Lucas looked up, "What's so funny?"

Haley didn't realize she'd laughed out loud, "Nothing really. Just thinking about how dumb we were last night."

Nathan walked in behind her, "Yeah, but it was our last night before we entered the real world."

Jake joined the conversation, "I don't know what dream you're emerging from, but man, you've been in the real world since you got married five years ago."

Nathan looked at Peyton, who was standing next to Jake, "You're husband is a total buzz kill. Did you know that?"

Peyton chuckled, "Sure did," she kissed Jake. Then she got serious, "What am I going to do without you here Haley? Now it's going to be two against one."

Haley hugged her, "Don't do this. NO crying. If they're ganging up on you, call me and I'll yell at Lucas and tell him to be nice."

Lucas smiled a devilish grin, "Yes mom." Everyone in the room laughed.

"Besides," Nathan started, "All three of you will be done in December. Then you can come home."

"But what if we don't find jobs in Tree Hill?"

"Come on Peyton. Our marketing department has your name written all over it if you want it. And Whitey's been waiting to retire so that Jake can have his job. And if Lucas doesn't have a job I'll have to talk to the guy that guaranteed him one," he smiled at that last comment.

"Nathan's right Pey. We'll be in Tree Hill by this time next year."

Nathan walked up behind Haley, wrapping his arms around her waist, "Ready to go?"

"In a minute. This is it Nate. This apartment has been our life for four years. We have so many memories here. I'm going to miss it."

"I'll miss it too, but we knew it was temporary. Our house will be forever. And we can make new memories there," he nibbled her neck.

"Mmmm," Haley moaned, "Let's get going so we can make those memories."

"You've got it ma'am."


	4. Chapter 3

Love Will Prevail

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these OTH characters, even though I'd like to. 

**Back in Tree Hill…**

**4:30**

Peyton and Jake had just left to go see Jenny, and Lucas stood on the porch with his brother and sister-in-law. "This place is absolutely beautiful you two."

"Thanks Lucas," Haley hugged her friend.

"So, see you at _Tric _tonight?" Lucas questioned.

Nathan looked at Haley who shrugged and nodded, "Sure."

"Show starts at 7:00."

"Sounds good." The couple stood and watched Lucas pull out of the driveway. Nathan leaned in for a kiss, "Welcome home Mrs. Scott."

Haley grabbed his hand, "Are you ready to make some memories Mr. Scott?" She giggled and lead him to the bedroom.

**6:30**

Haley moaned in ecstasy, "Nathan lets finish this in the shower," she tried to convince him they were going to be late.

"They'll understand Hales."

"Yeah."

**7:30**

Peyton and Karen glared at Lucas, "You told them seven, right?"

"Yes mom. And they said they'd be here."

Just then Jake popped his head in the door, "They're pulling into the parking lot."

Haley looked at her husband, "Sounds like the band has started."

"Yeah," Nathan kissed her, "but it was well worth missing part of it."

"That is was," she agreed. She froze when they walked in and people started cheering. Noticing a huge painting of their small family over the stage, she whispered to him, "Maybe we shouldn't have been late."

He laughed as they continued into the room. "We'd better find the culprits." As they found their friends, he pulled Lucas aside, "You could've told us. We would've made sure to be on time."

Lucas shook his head, "What, and be killed for ruining the surprise? NO way. Besides, who'd a figured you'd be too busy getting' busy to arrive on time. This'll be a classic story for your kids someday." Lucas caught his brother's glare and laughed, "Oh yeah, EVERYONE'S going to know."

"Thanks bro."

"Before you thank me too much, there are a few people who'd like to see you," Lucas pointed to a small table at the edge of the room.

Nathan nodded his head, and started walking towards the older couple. They'd aged so much in the four years since he'd seen them last. He stood in front of their table, "Mom. Dad. I'm surprised to see you here."

"We've made a lot of mistakes Nathan."

"Yeah, you have. But do you recognize the right ones?"

"Our biggest mistake was not accepting your marriage to Haley. You have such a beautiful family," deb pointed towards Peyton's painting.

"We don't know our grandchildren," Dan said, "I made that mistake with Lucas, and it's taken four years for me to realize I need to put my pettiness aside and hope to prevent that from happening with Harrison."

"Well, lucky for him, he has a dad. And his dad doesn't keep him around just for basketball."

"Nathan…" Deb started.

"What."

"We'd like to be part of your life. We want to get to know Haley. And we want to spoil our grandkids. But we know we need your permission. That's why we're going to give you an open invitation for dinner at the house."

"Thanks mom. I'll have to talk to Haley," Nathan walked away and heard Dan mutter, "We love you son." He didn't know what to think. Part of him wanted to believe they'd changed and that he should give them a chance. But another part of him knew he should let them rot in hell before giving in.

Nathan was with Haley when he heard Lucas and looked towards the stage.

"It was 5 years ago that I stood in this same spot and toasted what many viewed as a doomed marriage," he watched as Nathan kissed Haley. "I believed that if my best friend and best enemy could fall in love, it'd better work. Because I didn't want to go back to hating my brother," he smiled as the crowd laughed. "Today I stand here to toast that same wonderful couple who has proved to me that nothing is impossible. In five short years, they've graduated high school, became parents to two wonderful children, bought their first home, and earned college diplomas. I'd like to congratulate them, welcome them home to Tree Hill, and wish them happiness for all the years to come."


	5. Final Chapter

Love Will Prevail

Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these OTH characters, even though I'd like to. 

Author's Note: This is the final chapter in this story. But, the story continues in the third (and final?) part…"The Hardest Thing"

**6 months later…**

Nathan rushed into the hospital and saw Lucas standing at the front desk, "Where's Haley?"

"I'm right here babe."

He saw Haley, who was six months pregnant, walking towards him from the bathroom. Nathan smacked his brother on the back of the head, "Don't ever do that to me again."

"What?"

"Call me at work, frantic, telling me to meet you and my VERY pregnant wife at the hospital. I was worried sick." He looked around, "Why ARE we here?"

"It's Dan. They don't know how much longer he has. He slipped into a coma. Your mom's with him."

Nathan sat quietly at Dan's side while his family slept. He'd finally convinced Haley to go home, knowing that in her condition she didn't need to be sleeping in a hospital chair. He thanked God that he, and Lucas, had finally made peace with Dan. And for the first time, in a long time, he'd finally felt like a true family. For the first time ever, the entire Scott family had been together. They'd had Thanksgiving at Dan and Deb's. Mae and Royal came, along with Karen, Keith, and Lucas, and of course he and Haley had been there with Harrison and Abby. Peyton had stopped by to take a family photo. She planned to paint one for each house. They all knew Dan was sick, but hadn't expected to be here a week later.

Jake walked up behind Peyton, "Why don't you come to bed."

"I have to finish this for the funeral tomorrow," she looked up from the painting. "I want Dan to have his family with him forever."

"You need your sleep."

"Jake. The baby will be fine if I have one late night. This is something I need to do."

"I know. I'm sorry." Jake kissed her softly, "Promise you'll come to bed as soon as you're done?"

"I promise."

Nathan stood next to his mom as she cried. The receiving line was killing her, "Mom."

"I'll be fine Nathan," she wiped away a tear, "Now lets find Peyton."

Peyton stood in silence as Deb hugged her, "Thank you so much for the painting. I know Dan is smiling because of it."

"Thank you Deb. I am so sorry for your loss."

"It's okay. He was hurting. And the one thing he wanted more than anything, especially after he got sick, was to reunite the family he'd driven apart. He got that, so nothing else mattered."

**Reading of the will…**

Nathan sat uncomfortably in the lawyer's office with Haley, Lucas, Deb, Keith, and surprisingly, Karen. 'Leave it to Dan to make people uncomfortable, even from the grave,' he thought silently to himself. No one knew exactly what to expect from this, but as had become popular practice, Dan had video taped his will, thus there was no disputing it.

The lawyer walked into the room, "Thank you to everyone for meeting here today. Dan was very specific about who he wanted here when he taped this in June of last year."

"Last year?" Deb asked.

"Yes. I know a lot has happened with your family since then, but Dan wanted nothing changed."

Nathan squeezed Haley's hand. This could be ugly. At this time last year, he hadn't spoken to Dan in almost 4 years. He exchanged a nervous glance with Lucas, knowing he was thinking the same thing.

The tape started, and they all saw Dan sitting in the living room, a piece of paper in his hands. "Well, guess I'm dead if you're seeing this." He lifted the piece of paper he was holding, "I wanted to make sure I didn't miss anything. First, to my big brother Keith, I leave $10,000, the dealership, and the auto-body shop. I'm sorry for being such an ass about all of that."

"Nathan, I know nothing can change all of the things I've done to screw up your life, but I am sorry. I'm leaving $100,00 to you, and $100,000 to Haley. Under one condition - none of it can be used to fund this sporting goods business I've heard rumors of. Use it to pay off college, or something like that. Do something nice for your family. The same goes for you Lucas. None of your $100,000 can be spent on business. I'm leaving $25,000 to Nathan and Lucas, to get their business up and running. I have faith that you'll succeed beyond your wildest dreams. That is one of two joint funds I've created. The other is for my grandson Harrison, his siblings, should there be any, and his cousins, again should there be any. The balance currently stands at $120,000, it is to be divided equally amongst my grandchildren when Harrison turns 18. I hope it pays for college."

"Karen, I'm sure you're wondering why exactly I've asked you here. Well, I feel awful that I'm an ass, and didn't help you out more while Lucas was a kid. I'm leaving $15,000 for you to spend on yourself. You beat incredible odds and have not one, but two successful businesses that you've started on your own, with help from no one. While being a single parent. I admire you Karen. I wish I could've been as strong and independent as you."

"Deb, my love, everything else is yours. Thank you for standing by me, even when I gave you every reason not to. Thank you for giving our love another chance."

With that, the tape stopped. The lawyer let the Scotts sit in silence for a moment before speaking. "With the exception of the joint fund for Nathan and Lucas, and the trust fund for the grandchildren, all money was transferred to your personal accounts this morning." He hands the tape to Deb, "Thank you for being here today, and again, I am sorry for your loss."

After a few more moments of silence, Keith was the first to speak, "We all knew Dan had changed in the recent months, but that tape was filmed a year and a half ago. Did anybody know back then how he felt?"

Nathan spoke next, "In June we didn't even know about Abby yet, and I hadn't talked to Dad in three years."

"Neither had I. So how'd he know about the business?"

"That would be me," Karen looked at the brothers. "I'm sorry. But Dan wanted to know that despite all of his efforts to prevent it, his sons had become true brothers. He was always asking about both of you, and about Haley and Harrison. I wanted to tell him more, but I also knew that you didn't want that. And at the same time, I had no clue that he felt that way."

"Karen, I'm sorry. I had no idea he was grilling you," Nathan apologized.

"It's okay Nathan. I think he knew I wouldn't purposely tell him anything, but hoped I'd slip up."

"If anyone should've known, it's me," Deb looked at each member of her family, "but I was too clueless. As far as I knew, his hatred ran deep until the day he caught sight of his beautiful grandchildren with Keith and Karen in May. It was then that he realized that he needed to make amends."

Nathan looked at Haley, "So what are we going to do with all this money?"

"Oh, I don't know, pay off college maybe, buy a van, pay on the house. Just to name a few things."

"You're no fun. But if that's what you want to do with your money, fine. But I was thinking about taking my wife and kids on vacation."

"Can we wait," Haley placed her hands on her bulging stomach, "until this child has arrived?"

Everyone in the room laughed as Nathan kissed his wife, "I suppose."

Please tell me what you thought! And read more about Nathan, Haley, and the rest of the Tree Hill clan in "The Hardest Thing."


End file.
